


I Need Coffee in an I.V.

by emphasisonem



Category: Captain America (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Alternate Universe - Office, Awkward Flirting, First Kiss, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Post-Serum Steve Rogers, Secret Admirer
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-21
Updated: 2017-05-21
Packaged: 2018-11-03 10:36:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,060
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10965489
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emphasisonem/pseuds/emphasisonem
Summary: Bucky points at the counter, pouting. “They took my coffee maker.”Steve looks like he wants to laugh, but Bucky thinks he does an admirable job of biting it back.“Good god, howeverwill you survive?” Steve asks, and Bucky usually kind of adores that sassy mouth of Steve’s, but he doesn’t fuck around when it comes to his coffee.In which the office coffee maker breaks and Bucky is forced to rely on the kindness of an unknown coworker.





	I Need Coffee in an I.V.

**Author's Note:**

> The coffee maker at my office broke down not too long ago which inspired this fluffy little nugget. Hope you enjoy it!

“You have got to be fucking kidding me right now.”

Bucky stands in the office kitchen, staring at the now-empty counter space where the coffee maker was just a day prior. It had been there, all gleaming, stainless steel and clean glass pots filled with the bitter nectar that gets Bucky through each day. 

And now all Bucky sees is white tiles and a blue wall and _no_ _fucking coffee._

This has to be some kind of violation of his Constitutional rights or something. How can they possibly expect him to do his job without caffeine?

“Good morning, James,” Natasha breezes into the kitchen with her mug in hand, stopping short when she notices the distinct lack of a coffee maker. 

“Nothin’ good about it,” Bucky practically growls as he fixes his gaze on his friend, then gestures to the countertop. “As you can clearly see.”

Natasha sighs and rolls her eyes, grabbing a tea bag from one of the airtight canisters where they’re kept, and dropping it into her mug.

“Don’t be so melodramatic, Barnes,” Natasha says as she strides to a nearby corner of the kitchen and adds hot water from the dispenser to her cup. “It’s just coffee, for god’s sake. Make yourself a cup of tea or grab a soda from the vending machine.”

_“Just coffee?”_ Bucky asks, voice incredulous as his brows inch toward his hairline. “Natasha, please don’t insult me. You know I need at least two cups to start the day, and I only ever have time for one at home.”

Natasha’s eye roll makes a second appearance as she rounds to face him.

“Then start getting up earlier,” Natasha suggests. “Or go buy a coffee. Because I was just talking to that new receptionist - Peter, I think? - and he says the old one broke down and we won’t be getting a new one until next Monday. Something about the company being out of stock.”

Bucky sits heavily on one of the kitchen chairs, head in his hands as he groans, “A week? What the fuck do they expect me to do for a week?”

“Problem here?” a deep voice laced with amusement questions, and Bucky’s eyes dart toward the door. And, of course, there’s Steve Rogers, walking wet dream and object of Bucky’s ludicrous affections, standing there looking chipper and ready to start the day in his dark slacks and a chambray button-up.

The fact that the graphic designer looks like a goddamn catalogue model with his ridiculous shoulders and his perfect face at this hour is both endearing and exhausting, Bucky thinks as he sighs. 

Bucky points at the counter, pouting. “They took my coffee maker.”

Steve looks like he wants to laugh, but Bucky thinks he does an admirable job of biting it back. 

“Good god, how _ever_ will you survive?” Steve asks, and Bucky usually kind of adores that sassy mouth of Steve’s, but he doesn’t fuck around when it comes to his coffee. 

“Rogers, this is like a DEFCON-1 situation here, OK?” Bucky grumbles as he tucks a loose strand of hair behind his ear. “Maybe treat the current circumstances with the respect they deserve. Sam and I have a meeting with a client at nine. It’s a jumbo coffee kind of morning. I need coffee in an I.V.”

“All right, Lorelai, settle down there,” Steve chuckles, and Bucky can’t help smiling.

“Look at you, catching the _Gilmore Girls_ reference, Rogers,” Bucky teases. “Man after my own heart.”

Steve shakes his head and bites his lip, and _fuck_ , without his coffee, Bucky’s not alert enough to keep himself from staring. It’s not until Steve’s bright blue eyes begin to widen that Bucky snaps himself out of it.

“Well, uh,” Steve stammers, a light blush coloring his cheeks, and fuck he definitely noticed Bucky gaping at him. “If you’re that desperate, you can have the Americano that I picked up at Starbucks on the way in.”

Bucky grins and shakes his head. “Thanks for the offer, Steve, but I’m not going to deprive you of your morning caffeine. I’m not a monster.”

 

* * *

 

Bucky’s meeting goes better than he expected given the lack of coffee. The Coke he’d grabbed from the vending machine had provided him with enough caffeine and sugar to keep him from losing his shit when the client had asked them to scrap the website design they’d been working on and start over from scratch.

That’s hours of Bucky’s life spent writing lines of code that he’ll never get back, but he smiles and nods as Cal Sanders of Burger Boulevard explains his reasoning.

“My wife and I were looking over the website design while my daughter, Christine, was home over the weekend,” Cal says. “Said she thought the design looked a little too old school and asked if we had any other options.”

At this point Cal turns to Bucky and Sam and smiles apologetically as he says, “I showed her your original design and she said that was the ticket. I’m sorry I didn’t go with it from the beginning. And I understand that this changes the timeline and the pricing, but we want this site to be as good as possible.”

Bucky glances over at Sam, shrugging at the question he sees in the other man’s dark eyes. 

“As long as you understand it’ll take some extra time,” Sam grins. “I think we can go back to our original design without too much trouble.”

The meeting ends a few minutes later, and as much as Bucky loves being proven right when it comes to his and Sam’s web design skills, he’s not looking forward to rewriting a bunch of code without a few cups of coffee. 

Except it looks like he won’t have to because there’s a Starbucks cup sitting on his desk, and he moans as the smell of espresso hits his nostrils when he picks it up.

“Whoa, settle down there,” Sam laughs as he walks into the office the two of them share. “We’re at work, man, keep it PG.”

Bucky huffs out a laugh and then holds out the cup, “Some kind soul left me coffee, Sam. I think I might cry, I’m so happy. You want some?”

“I’m fine, thanks,” Sam smirks as he settles into his chair and begins tapping away at his keyboard. “Am I gonna be able to concentrate on work, or are you gonna need a moment alone with your cup of joe?”

“You’re an ass,” Bucky smirks, but now that he’s sipping the beverage, he can’t find it in himself to be annoyed about anything.

 

* * *

 

“Did you buy me a latte so that you wouldn’t have to listen to me whine during lunch?” Bucky asks as he leans against Nat’s desk and crosses his arms. 

“Are you kidding?” Natasha snorts. “I was looking forward to teasing you mercilessly. Somebody bought you coffee?”

Bucky blinks, a little surprised. He doesn’t have too many close friends at the office outside of Natasha and Sam. But Sam was in a meeting with him, and Bucky has no reason to suspect that Nat’s lying.

“Yeah,” Bucky answers. “Huh. Wonder who bought it, then.”

Natasha stands from her desk and grabs her purse, and Bucky follows her out of the customer service area of the office. 

“Well, half the company was in the kitchen this morning, so anybody could have heard you complaining,” Natasha deadpans. “But I have a pretty good idea of who it might’ve been.”

“Who?” Bucky asks, brow furrowing as his friend smirks up at him. “Come on, tell me.”

“And ruin the fun of watching you try to solve this mystery?” Natasha laughs. “Not a chance, Barnes.”

 

* * *

 

“Had a feelin’ it might be you,” Sam smirks as he leans back in his chair. Steve’s coming through the door, a cup with a familiar green logo in hand. The blond’s face is tinged pink as he shrugs, then moves forward and leaves it on Bucky’s desk.

“Figured I’d give you some peace today,” Steve explains, a hand coming up to rub the back of his neck. “You know as well as I do that he’s pretty miserable without his coffee.”

Sam barks out a laugh, shaking his head as he rises. “Right, this is just so _I_ don’t have to put up with grumpy Barnes today. Nothin’ at all to do with the enormous crush you been haborin’ since you started here.”

Steve’s blush deepens, but he smiles as he says, “Hey, two birds, one stone.”

“You’re an idiot, Rogers,” Sam snickers as he grabs his wallet. “Now, let’s go, I’m starvin’.”

 

* * *

 

“Did you leave this for me?” Bucky asks as Sam enters their office after lunch, holding up a paper cup.

“How would that even make sense?” Sam asks with a grin as he walks over to his desk and sits. “I just came back from lunch. If I was nice enough to bring back a coffee, wouldn’t I have it in my hand now?”

“Oh,” Bucky says, glancing at the now-empty container. “That’s - yeah, that makes sense.”

“God, you really do not function well without you usual intake of caffeine do you?” Sam laughs, eyes scanning his computer as he types.

Bucky slumps forward, head in his hands as he sighs, “I really, _really_ don’t."

 

* * *

 

Natasha’s sitting on one of the chairs in front of Bucky’s desk the next morning, a client’s file in hand, when she tilts her head to side, green eyes narrowing. 

“I’m sorry, but is that a heart on the side of your coffee?” she asks. 

Bucky blinks owlishly, then turns the cup. Sure enough, there’s a heart around his name, but it’s not the same color as the ink in which his name is written. 

“Man, the barista must have a heck of a crush on whoever keeps bringin’ me coffee,” Bucky chuckles before taking another sip. “Two different inks and everything.”

Natasha levels a disbelieving look at him and Bucky throws his hands up as he sighs, _“What?”_

“Nothing,” Natasha deadpans. “You’re just even more oblivious than usual when you’re not caffeinated.”

 

* * *

 

“Guess who I think has a secret admirer,” Natasha sing-songs as the four of them sip beers at a high-top table that evening, ignoring Bucky when he shoves lightly at her shoulder. 

Steve watches the two of them and grins. If he didn’t know better, he’d think they were a couple. Hell, that _was_ what he’d thought the first time Sam had invited him out to a happy hour with his office buddies.

“Natasha, shut up,” Bucky huffs, taking a quick sip of his beer. “It’s just someone trying to keep me from killing the rest of you because of caffeine withdrawal. Nothin’ more.”

“Right,” Natasha smirks. “That’s why the person drew a heart around your name. Just bein’ a swell friend to the office at large.”

Steve blanches as Natasha’s green eyes land on him, sparkling with a knowing sort of mischief. He’s glad Bucky’s glaring away from Nat because he has no doubt that his feelings and his fear of being found out are written all over his face.

Steve shakes his head, pleading with his eyes for Natasha to just drop it. Her face softens a little and she smiles, but Steve has a feeling this isn’t over just yet.

He’s proven right when Natasha sidles up beside him at the bar when he’s grabbing them all another round about half an hour later. 

“You know,” Natasha drawls as she smiles up at Steve. “I have a feeling you’d be pleasantly surprised if you just asked Bucky out for a coffee date instead of drawing hearts around his name like a middle schooler.”

Steve can’t help but chuckle at Natasha’s very accurate appraisal of the situation.

“We all have our ways of going about wooing people, Romanov,” Steve replies with a smirk. “Is mine a little unorthodox? Sure. But I’m not ready to take the leap yet, and he hardly seems to mind the free drinks.”

“You two are perfect for each other,” Natasha sighs as she grabs two of the four beers Steve’s ordered. “You’re just as dumb as he is.”

 

* * *

 

It goes on like this for the next couple of days, Starbucks cups showing up on Bucky’s desk throughout the day. It’s sweet and infuriating all at once. 

Bucky leans back in his chair, chewing at the end of a pen and thinking. He’s never around to catch the person in the act, so they must have a decent idea of his schedule. Or Sam’s schedule.

And, come to think of it, it’s _very_ strange that Sam hasn’t seen this mystery coworker leaving the coffee or sneaking out of their office. What are the odds that this person has given both of them the slip so many times?

Not that good, Bucky reasons. Odds are, Sam knows _exactly_ who it is. But why hasn’t he told Bucky? They’re friends, aren’t they? Bucky’d tell Sam if somebody at the office liked _him_ enough to bring him free drinks or snacks.

Unless of course, Bucky thinks, a slow smirk curling across his lips, the person leaving Bucky coffee is also a friend of Sam’s. Maybe even Sam’s best friend.

Bucky glances over at Sam’s empty desk. He’s got the day off - long weekend with his girlfriend’s family or something - and Bucky wonders if maybe this isn’t a golden opportunity. Without Sam here, Bucky might be able to figure this thing out once and for all. 

Bucky sends Nat a quick text that he’s going to need to work through lunch today. Then, he slides from his chair to hide beneath his desk.

Juvenile? Maybe. But let it never be said that James Buchanan Barnes isn’t dedicated when he’s got a goal that needs accomplishing.

 

* * *

Steve’s a little nervous about leaving Bucky a coffee when Sam’s not around to run interference, but their shared office is empty when Steve pokes his head in, the only light in the room coming from the windows and the soft blue glow of Bucky’s monitor.

Steve moves quietly anyway, shoes making only the faintest sound as he treads across the carpet. He’s got a pretty good idea of when Bucky and Nat go to lunch by now, but since Sam’s not here, there’s no guarantee that Bucky won’t walk through the door at any moment. 

Of course, if Steve were a normal person, he could have just popped in and dropped the first coffee off when Bucky was here. Could have made it a no-big-deal favor between coworkers. 

Instead he’s made it A Thing. Hell, he’s heard his other coworkers whispering about who in the office likes Bucky enough to leave him multiple coffees every day with hearts drawn around his name. 

The smart money, he’s heard, is on a redhead in accounting named Dot. 

Steve shakes the thought (and, if he’s being honest with himself, the jealousy) away, leaning forward to place a latte on Bucky’s desk. 

The last thing he’s expecting is Bucky’s head to pop up from below said desk, eyes wide as it registers who he’s looking at and what they’ve got in hand. 

Well, what they’d _had_ in hand because Steve is so surprised that he yelps and the coffee goes flying. Mercifully, it lands nowhere near Bucky’s computer.

“So,” Bucky starts, drawing out the word. “You, uh, maybe wanna sit down for a sec and chat? Because, honestly, I’m a little confused about all this, Rogers.”

_I am so screwed_ , Steve thinks as he nods and drops into a chair.

 

* * *

“So, I guess I should say thank you first,” Bucky says, running a hand through his hair. “It was nice of you to bring me coffee this week, secret admirer prank aside.”

Bucky watches Steve’s brow furrow, his bright blue eyes narrowing as he tilts his head. 

“Prank?” Steve asks.

“Well, yeah, I,” Bucky stammers, surprised by the intensity in Steve’s gaze. “I mean, you don’t _actually_ have a crush on me, right?”

Bucky waits, but Steve doesn’t say a damn thing, just keeps giving him that inscrutable look, and Bucky’s suddenly a little short of breath.

“Do you?” Bucky asks quietly, heart hammering in his ears as Steve rises from the chair and makes his way around to Bucky’s side of the desk. 

And then Steve’s grabbing Bucky by the collar of his shirt and tugging him upward. There’s a hand tangling in Bucky’s shoulder-length hair, blunt fingernails scratching at his scalp in a way that sends a shiver down his spine, and warm breath ghosting across his lips. 

_I’m going to faint_ , Bucky thinks. Then Steve’s lips find his.

And while Bucky does go a little weak in the knees, he stays conscious, mostly through sheer force of will. Like _hell_ , is he going to miss his first kiss with Steve Rogers.

 

* * *

Bucky’s lips are a little chapped, but they’re warm and firm against Steve’s own. It takes Bucky a moment to process what’s happening, and Steve can’t help smiling when he feels Bucky begin to respond. 

Steve pulls away a few moments later, breathing a little heavy as he looks at Bucky. The other man’s stormy gray eyes are a little dazed, his lips darker than they usually are, and all Steve wants to do is go back to kissing him.

But, it’s the middle of the day at work, and they really _should_ talk about this.

“Clear things up for you?” Steve rasps, grinning at the breathless laugh that leaves Bucky. 

“A bit, yeah,” Bucky replies, bringing a hand to Steve’s cheek. “Why didn’t you just say somethin’, Steve?”

“You make me a little nervous, Buck,” Steve chuckles. “And I didn’t wanna make it weird at work if you weren’t interested in me, you know? I mean, I thought you might be with the way you look at me sometimes, but I wasn’t totally sure. Guess I just couldn’t keep it in check anymore.”

“I’m glad,” Bucky smiles, resting his forehead against Steve’s. “Now, how about you let me return the favor and buy _you_ a cup of coffee right now? And then maybe dinner tonight?”

Steve’s heart is soaring as he bites down on his lip, liking the way Bucky’s eyes are drawn to it the same way they were early Monday morning.

“It’s a date.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Come hang out with me on [tumblr](http://emphasisonem.tumblr.com/) if you'd like.


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